Stand in the Rain
by Sharkpups24
Summary: The voice of a lonely girl sings out to the heavens. She waits for the day that someone, somewhere finally answers... Nejiten


**A/N: **Well, it has been a long time since I posted any sort of chapter for my ongoing fanfic _'Konoha Demons' _Anyways, as an apology for such a long wait, I'm posting this oneshot. I hope you enjoy it! The song used is **Stand in the Rain by Superchic.**

'_**Blah'**_- lyrics

'_Blah'- _thoughts

**Disclaimer: **I do not, and probably never will own, Naruto or Superchic

**Stand in the Rain**

Scrolls and weapons littered the small grounds where Tenten practiced without anyone else's knowledge. It was a place that she had found when she was younger and she always went there in secret more often to clear her mind than train. In this case, she had only recently finished and was now resting by the shores of the small pond nearby. She did not bother cleaning up the mess she had left in the small clearing surrounded by aged trees, it was not like anyone ever came by.

This was her sanctuary, a place where the pain of reality could no longer reach her. There was no one there to look down on her or compare her to her teammates. She held no resentment towards them for that, they had all worked long, hard hours to get to where they were. Yet every time she was deemed the weakest of their squad it hurt more than any weapon she had ever been handled.

Tenten looked down at her reflection in a slightly depressed manner. _'I work just as hard as them if not harder. Why does no one see that?' _Her reflection scowled back at her, unresponsive as always. The young kunoichi leaned back too look up at the sky and the countless stars that usually glowed down on her, yet they were blocked by the oncoming rain clouds. She shifted a little and winced in pain. The amount of time she put into training for the past few days was beginning to take a toll on her.

Watching the stars, she could hear the same familiar song that seemed to plague her recently. Tenten sighed and started to sing to the heavens softly.

"_**She never slows down  
She doesn't know why but  
she knows that when  
She's all alone feels  
Like it's all coming down"  
**_

Her voice rang out clearly into the night sky, yet the tones of hurt and longing were interwoven as she sang.

"_**She won't turn around  
The shadows are long  
And she fears if she cries  
That first tear  
The tears will not stop  
Raining down"**_

Tenten's eyes stung as she could feel her own emotions begin to rise up. Yet not one tear fell to the ground. Not now, not ever. A proper kunoichi was never supposed to show her true feelings ever and she lived by that rule. She knew it was just a lie to herself though.

"_**So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day what's lost can be found  
You stand in the rain"**_

Frustration and anger were slowly leaking out of her, all focused on the song she was singing. It fit so perfectly at times, it was ridiculous. It started to lightly rain down on her, soaking her clothes a little. She could have cared less though.

"_**She won't make a sound  
Alone in this fight with herself  
And the fears whispering  
If she stands, she'll fall down"  
**_

She put her whole heart into the lyrics of the song now, now freely showing how she felt inside. It was a secret that would only be shared with the stars, at least that was what she had intended anyways. In the morning, she would go back to being the invisible and weak Tenten. It was her inevitable fate.

"_**She wants to be found but  
The only way out is through  
everything she's running from  
Wants to give up and lie down"**_

The weapons mistress smiled a little bitterly. She was starting to sound like a certain Hyuuga prodigy that she knew rather well. There were some rumours going around that she has a crush on Neji recently. She did not deny them, for it was true that they shared a bond much deeper than just friendship. As for actual love, that may have very well been the case. If Neji did love her, then he was damn good at hiding it from her.

"_**So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day what's lost can be found  
You stand in the rain"**_

The tears welled up in her eyes again, all of the emotions that she usually kept locked up inside threatening to flow over. This time, she did nothing to stop them. For a moment, she forgot about being a kunoichi, a tool for killing. She forgot about her past, her friends, her family, her squad and the empty apartment that waited to greet her when she came home. All of her pain and burdens left her for just a few minutes. For those sweet few minutes, she was just Tenten.

"_**So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
Stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day what's lost can be found"**_

Now, Tenten stood up and sung the very last words out into the night with everything she could muster. The feelings of uselessness disappeared as she felt stronger and more assured of herself. _'That's right. I'm a strong, capable kunoichi and I'm proud of it. Who cares what others think?' _That small burst of self-assurance was evident as the song neared its conclusion.

"_**So stand in the rain  
Stand your ground  
Stand up when it's all crashing down  
You stand through the pain  
You won't drown  
And one day what's lost can be found  
You stand in the rain"**_

As the final notes of her song faded away, it seemed to take with it the heavy weight inside her heart. Tenten closed her eyes, tears still silently falling down her pale face. It still hurt to be all alone, but she would get over it. She managed to do so every other time. A part of her still listened intently in hopes that there would be someone there to answer her. As always, not a soul was present. Only the sound of a light rainstorm reached her ears.

"Time to pack up." The weapons mistress sighed and dried her tears. It was time to go back and get some sleep before doing some training with Neji and Lee a few hours later. She started to clean up the training area. She counted each and every weapon as it was sealed away into her scrolls. Her kunai, shuriken and senbon were all accounted for as well as a number of other weapons. In fact, there was only one missing from the otherwise unnaturally large collection of dangerous pointy things. She started looking for the weapon, moving around the trees and looking in the bushes. It was no where in sight.

"Looking for something?" A familiar voice asked, causing Tenten to jump and turn around swiftly. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw who it was, immediately turning red. Neji was leaning against a nearby tree with a beautifully crafted kodachi in his hands, the exact same one she had been searching for. Wordlessly, he tossed the blade at her.

"…Thanks." Tenten caught the weapon with ease, sliding it back into its sheath before looking at her companion. For some reason, his presence there right now made her a lot more self-conscious. "How long have you…" She trailed off and lowered her gaze. His eyes seemed to be penetrating her and it was making her a little nervous.

"Long enough." Neji replied calmly, approaching the girl without hesitation. Tenten turned to leave, but froze as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. "Stay." The way he said it was both demanding and pleading, yet she was probably the only one who knew what he meant. She turned around and met with a pair of piercing, yet surprisingly gentle white eyes. _'No…They're more lavender than white…' _She mused her herself, finding herself oddly enchanted to such an exotic colour.

A pair of warm lips brushed hers, further surprising her. Tenten found herself responding to the kiss, wrapping her arms around Neji's neck and returning it. His arms moved lower and rested themselves on her waist, bring her closer to him. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke the kiss. No words needed to be said, for simple loving actions were more than enough to express their feelings for one another.

Tenten rested her head on Neji's shoulder, a ghost of a smile evident on the expressions of the new couple. The rain had stopped and the clouds cleared away to reveal a beautiful night sky. "It looks like the lost has been found after all."

* * *

**A/N: **How was that? Not too bad for my first oneshot and first piece of writing in a few months. It may be a while before I post again, but keep an eye out!

Read and Review! I appreciate each one!


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